


On the High Seas

by LadyArinn



Category: The Voice (US) RPF, The Voice RPF
Genre: M/M, Mermaids, Pirates, Selkies, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 18:39:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10950414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyArinn/pseuds/LadyArinn
Summary: Blake and Adam are pirates in a time of peace, but that peace may be ending soon





	On the High Seas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaptainKenway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainKenway/gifts).



> Hello all! So, this isn't normally my fandom, and in fact I've only read works by the lovely CaptainKenway, because she's wonderful and I support her in everything she does. But she's my friend so I like her and stuff, and she likes this pairing which means she gets them as a present when inspiration strikes.
> 
> So, one day when she was talking about how much she loves pirates, and with my knowledge of how much she likes Adam and Blake, I concocted this little idea up. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Adam had fallen in love with the sea when he’d been small, little hands gripping the side of the boat taking him and his family to their new home in the bustling harbor city of Angeles. He’d never felt a thrill like it before, staring down at roiling water that their ship cut through, nothing in the distance as far as his eyes could see except for _blue_. He’d pestered the sailors about every little thing they had been doing, ignoring his parents telling him to leave the men alone. He’d watched them scale the mast and dangle from ropes like they were accomplishing the most astonishing feats in the world, and he’d wanted to follow them up and learn to fly too.

 The lurch and sway of the ship had made his gut flip pleasantly and the salt on the breeze had tasted like dreams, and when they’d stepped back onto land all the boy had wanted to do was set sail again.

He’d thought he’d follow his dreams into the Empire’s navy, setting sail to protect king and country and make his family proud but… It turned out, being abused and used for cannon fodder day in and day out, watching his friends die because their captain couldn’t be bothered with worrying about the lives of some commoners with notions of grandeur wasn’t for him. And he hadn’t _exactly_ meant to lead the mutiny, it had just sort of happened and he’d got caught up in the moment. One minute everyone was angrily muttering about what they could potentially do, and the next thing Adam knew he was holding a sword to the throat of the man who had been his captain and was declaring himself master of the ship and crew, if they would follow him. Then Jesse had been climbing up to tear down the country’s flag, and everyone had been cheering and they’d all got a bit caught up in the moment…

Thankfully it had all turned out alright. Plus, being a pirate was a lot more fun and paid a lot better than the navy.

Though, sometimes he’d wished his most loyal crew mates had instead been the quiet types, because living on a ship with Jesse all day every day was one day going to lead to a murder on either one of their parts.

“Bird!” James called down from the bird’s nest, and Adam wondered at how it had gotten so boring that they were talking about fucking _birds_ now for amusement. There wasn’t a good wind behind them or in front of them or _anywhere_ , the water was a still and quiet as a fucking oversized puddle, and Mickey had burned their last deck of cards last week when Jesse had refused to quit cheating.

Adam loved the sea more than he loved anything else in the world somedays, but the bitch could be fucking boring sometimes.

“Fuck you!” Jesse called up, having been startled by the sudden call, which had caused him to lose his balance on the top of two stacked empty water barrels and topple to the deck, thus losing a bet with P.J. that would cost him the last few strips of salted meat everyone knew he had hidden somewhere. “I hope that bird takes your fucking tongue off!”

“There is _no_ reason for that!” James called back, “I just-“

“ _Fuck you!”_ Jesse shrieked, flipping him off, causing the other man make to move from his perch, probably to come down to punch his crew mate’s stupid face in. Adam decided to stop the fight for the moment, even though it would give them a bit of much needed amusement.

“Is there a reason you’re telling us about a _bird_?” He called up, voice so dry and bored it almost sounded like it hurt for him to get the words out.

“Yes!” James called back, “It’s got something, and I’m pretty sure it’s a crow!”

“Wait, does it have a crow, or _is_ it a crow? You could be a bit clearer.” Matt called from where he had been attempting to figure out how to flip a coin into a tin can about two yards away. He was actually starting to get pretty close.

“Fuck off!” James called back, which Matt looked a little hurt by. They’d definitely been out for _way_ too long with only each other for company. “And the bird is a crow! Maybe! What’s the difference between a crow and a raven?”

“How big is it?” PJ yelled back, face scrunched up in confused thought, because they really didn’t know.

“Oh, let me just _ask_!” James yelled, despite it being a pretty reasonable question.

But it turned out they didn’t need to ask the bird because it landed soon enough, and it was fucking _big._

“It’s a raven!” PJ called up to James, who thanked him despite their earlier tension.

“It’s one of the queen’s!” Jesse exclaimed way too gleefully, causing everything to come to a screeching stop on the ship, though that wasn’t really saying much.

A murmur began to make its rounds through the crew as they all debated about what the letter the raven was carrying could be about. It ranged from a pirate war to a non-pirate war – “That’s just a war!” Jesse had declared, “Literally, if we’re not in it it’s just a normal war!” – to a wedding, to the announcement of a new treaty. Adam really didn’t get the wedding one, but he had to admit he would want to be invited if that were the case.

Instead of adding to the speculation Adam did the captain-y thing and simply opened the letter, careful with the pale blue silk ribbon and the thick parchment, breaking the wax seal and unrolling the message.

_To the Captain of the Maroon,_

_Please begin to make your way to my Isle. You are required, and an absence will not be forgiven. Please be careful on your journey, and take care of Augustus._

_Augustus is the Raven, by the way._

It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. Literally you’d have to be an idiot to not know who it was from if you were sailing on her seas.

And you’d have to be ten times stupider and have a death wish to ignore her summons.

“Well men, it looks like we’re setting sail!” Adam declared, happy to finally have something to do. There was a cheer as everyone on the ship thought the same, which slowly died as everyone realized that the wind was still nonexistent and that they weren’t going to be moving for a bit.

“It looks like we’ll be setting sail… in a bit.” Adam corrected with a sigh, a noticeably weaker and almost pathetic murmur of a cheer meeting this amended statement as everyone went back to doing all of the nothing that they had been doing before.

With a sigh, Adam went over to see if he could somehow get Jesse to balance on _three_ empty barrels with something on his head. That should at least pass a bit of time.

 

* * *

 

Adam loved the sea. Sometimes, when he thought about those vague, squishy children he might one day have, he thought about how he’d probably never love them more than the life he lived and the seas he sailed. And what did that say about him as a person? That he was selfish and self-centered? He already knew that, but you would think that maybe he would love his children more than a bunch of water.

But deep down, he knew the truth.

So he loved the sea a lot, loved sailing and exploring and getting gold and fancy clothes from the rich trade boats they would attack. He loved his crew, even though they were all terrible and awful and annoying, and he loved all of the new and amazing things he got to see and do just because of his lifestyle.

What he did not love, in no uncertain terms, were the motherfucking mermaids and their motherfucking _mermaidness._

“This is ridiculous!” Adam explodes, the slitted eyes of the creature hanging on to their rowboat staring at him dispassionately. “The _Aklottl_ clan’s toll-“

“We are not the _Aklottl_ ,” The pale creature murmured, voice a raspy melody that could in moments become an ear shattering screech that would incapacitate them all easily. Adam really shouldn’t be antagonizing them. “Our toll is our toll. You will pay it, or you will not pass.”

Adam glared and grumbled, but he could see the bobbing heads of the other mermaids a little ways off, attentively watching them and waiting for the first real sign of resistance. He knew better than to actually try to skimp on the toll.

You couldn’t lie to the mermaids about how many people were on your ship, because they could hear every person’s heartbeat a mile around. You couldn’t pay the mermaids in false goods, because they knew the true weight of gold in their hands better than a seasoned merchant. You couldn’t sail around the mermaids, because they could outswim a ship in even the most favorable wind. Their claws could sink into wood like it was butter, and they could scale the side of a sip in a matter of moments despite the useless weight of their tails.

And their teeth, sharp and jagged and cruel, could tear a man in half with a clench of their jaw and a jerk of their head.

You did not mess with the mermaids.

“I’ll pay a stone for every ten heads.” Adam declared, not squirming underneath the piercing weight of the yellow-orange eyes that dissected him. He was cutting it a bit close to insulting according to their original price, but he truthfully hadn’t brought enough down and turning around to get more would either be taken as an insult or an invitation to add more to the price.

“Very well.” The mermaid accepted with an eerie tilt of its head. Adam nodded and breathed a bit easier as he counted out the gold coins from the sack Jesse handed him, dropping them into the spindly hand of the mermaid, who weighed them a moment before drawing back and tilting it’s hand, letting them fall into the water.

“And human, just so that you are warned. There is a kraken who is currently migrating through these waters.” The creature says, easy as you please, and Adam gapes. Jesse makes a strange sound that is caught somewhere between a squeak and a gasp.

“You have a way to get rid of it, don’t you?” Adam asked in what he thought was quite a calm and collected manner. And he knew they must, because the mermaids had had ways to get rid of nearly every major sea beast for hundreds of years. The mermaid tilts its head again, and it’s mouth moved into something that approximates a smirk, jagged teeth peeking through.

“I am afraid, human, that such methods are only for those who pay full price.” The creature demurs, disappearing beneath the water before the stunned captain could even close his wide open mouth.

“Shit.” Adam muttered, and Jesse grunted in agreement, the two men collecting themselves just enough to begin rowing back to the ship.

“We have a kraken horn. Right?” Jesse asked, voice squeaking in a way that clearly showed that he already knew the answer.

“We had to trade the kraken horn to pass through the selkie waters a few months back. Matt was supposed to get another one.” Adam grumbled.

“And of course he didn’t, because he’s Matt. At least we can blame him.” The other man muttered, and Adam snorted.

Jesse sighed as they reached the ship, staying silent as they busied themselves with tying the row boat to the ropes the crew used to lift them up. “Well… We can’t just go _around_ it. It’s a kraken and we’d be late and you _know_ everyone isn’t going to like that.” He finally declared as they were being lifted.

“What’s going on?” Mickey asked once he’d finished tying the rope off, habing caught the tail end of the statement, and Jesse rolled his eyes with a groan.

“Krakens, I fucking swear.” He moaned, and the crew groaned a moment after.

“What’s one doing down here this time a year? They usually don’t start migrating until September.” PJ mused, earning what Adam thought to be a scathing eye roll that would definitely put the man back in his place.

“Well, we’ll just tell it that then.” He tells the man sweetly, walking past his men to walk up the stairs to the quarter deck, turning to contemplate the horizon before them.

“Well,” He sighed, hands on his hips and his crew watching him, waiting for orders, “This is going to suck.”

 

* * *

 

“Eat my balls you prick!” Ryan screamed, hurtling his now empty musket at the raging monster they were battling, cannons booming as the kraken screamed, tentacles flailing as they tries to grab the ship, though the constant attacks were a bit of a deterrent.

“That’s… Just fucking reload!” Adam screamed, throwing his hands up as the man instead decided to just take one of his boots off to throw it at the creature. “What the fuck is that going to do?!”

“Second cannons fire!” Jesse screamed, and the nearly synchronized blasts rocked the boat beneath them. Which was good, because someone had to keep their head.

A flailing tentacle slammed into the water a bit too close to the boat for comfort, spraying water on the people racing about the deck and rocking the boat violently, almost enough that a few men toppled over. They were too used to the sea to do so, but it was near enough that it made them sweat.

Adam was just starting to get a bit worried when a sudden bellow sounded, familiar to any sailor who sailed the southern seas. The kraken descended with a screech, a swift shadow the last thing the men saw of it as it swam away from the blare of the Kraken horn.

“Someone get eyes on the other ship!” Adam demanded, and Matt quickly ran to one of the shrouds hanging off the main mast, clambering up it quickly to get up to the crows nest and point his spyglass toward the approaching vessel.

“It’s the _Ada_!” He called down, and everyone relaxed, waiting as the ship pulled up beside them.

“Well,” Blake Shelton, captain of one of the most powerful pirate ships to sail the seas, drawled as he leaned against the railing of his ship in what the man probably thought was an alluring way, “It certainly seems that someone came out here unprepared.”

“I know. I’m embarrassed for you.” Adam shot back, propping his elbows against the wood in front of him, ignoring the groans of the crew behind him. “Don’t worry about it too much, though. It’s a feeling I’m used to.”

“ _’Oh, I never go unprepared into the southern seas. Only idiots go without a horn.’”_ Blake mocked, voice going high pitched, and Adam barely restrained himself from pulling a Ryan and throwing his shoe at the man’s stupid face. “That was you, by the way. Do you remember saying that? Because you did.”

“Well, we would have had a horn if _somebody_ hadn’t pissed off the Selikie, which made it almost _impossible_ for me to get through their territory.” Adam pointed out. “And how did you get one, anyways? Last I’d heard you’d lost yours for the fifty millionth time.”

“The _Afnnada_. Did the mermaids not give you one?” Blake asked innocently. Adam scowled.

“I bargained and-“ He was interrupted by Blake’s laugh.

“And what? You thought you could just get away with it?” Blake scoffed.

“I didn’t think they were going to throw me at a _kraken!_ ” Adam protested, scowling as Blake continued to laugh. He turned to where Jesse was leaning over the separation of the ships to talk with Usher and ordered, “Shoot a cannon. Sink them.”

He was ignored, and it was very upsetting.

“So!” He shouted to get Blake to stop laughing and pay attention to him, “I’m guessing you got an invitation from the queen too, huh? Or are you just following me around like some kind of sad loser?” Adam asked, wishing that they were a bit closer so that he could fix Blake’s shirt, where one of his middle buttons had slipped loose. He looked like an idiot, and it was not endearing what so ever. “Kind of needy there, Blake.”

“Fuck off,” Blake said easily, his grin too big and stupid on his stupid face. Adam wanted to punch it. Maybe. “And yeah, we got the crow. Do you know what it’s all about?”

“It’s a Raven.”

“What?”

“It’s a Raven, you dipshit.” Adam sighed, burdened by the other man’s incompetence and ignorance. “I know they don’t teach you good in those backwards schools in the country, but you’d think you’d know _something_.”

“They’re basically the same thing.” Blake protested, face scrunching up in annoyance “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“How could you say something so _stupid_?” Adam asked, looking over to his crew for support, though they ignored him. “Ravens and crows are completely different birds!”

“Oh yeah? How? Tell me all the ways crows and ravens are different.” Blake demanded, and Adam sniffed haughtily, looking away from the man’s stupid eyes and his stupid face.

“I’m not going to just _hand_ you the answers, Blake. That would make _everything_ meaningless and you wouldn’t really learn anything.”

“What _everything_? What does telling me what you know about crows and ravens from your fancy city schools hurt?”

“ _Oh my God,_ if you don’t already know something so simple and obvious you don’t deserve to know! Everyone knows these things, and we can’t just keep holding your hands to help you along!” Adam cried out, earning a narrow eyed glare.

“Usher!” Blake barked, his second in command insubordinately just shouting back a _“What?”_ Instead of coming over like Blake had meant him to. “What are the differences between a crow and a raven?” He asked with a smirk, somehow thinking that this would win him the debate.

“Well, their size for one. And ravens croak while crows caw.” Usher says, easy as you please like it was something normal to know. The only reason Adam held himself back from poking fun at the man was because he’d just won the argument.

“Ha!” He laughed, pointing at Blake’s pissed off face, “Don’t you feel like a _fool_?”

“You’re fired!” Blake shouted at Usher, who just shrugged and turned back to his conversation with Jesse. “And you!” He shouted, pointing right back at Adam, “Answer my fucking question!”

“I would if you’d just _ask_ it, jeeze.” Adam huffed, rolling his eyes, “You’ve been dancing around this _forever_.”

“Do you. Know what. We’re being called. For?” Blake grit out, and Adam shrugged.

“No, but it sure is embarrassing that _you_ don’t know, though.” He shrugged, and had they been on the same ship the other man may have very well throttled him at this point.

“I _swear-“_ Blake started, but he was interrupted by Mickey.

“Hey, since we’re talking about it, maybe we should go? You guys can flirt once we’re not in danger of turning up late and pissing everyone off.”

“Yeah, Adam.” Blake mocked, “I can’t believe you’ve just wasted all this time.”

“I know. You’re such a terrible influence.” Adam smugly laughed before turning and barking out orders for the sails to be hoisted.

 

* * *

 

As they continued on their way that night their ships sailed close enough that both parties could easily see one another, but too far for conversation to reach before it would get carried away on the favorable wind that was guiding them. Adam insisted that this was good since now he wouldn’t have to listen to Blake, and yet that night still found him sitting outside with a lantern, lifting and lowering his hand in front of it in an even pattern, waiting for a moment as the light on the ship across the way blinked back.

“How’s Blake?” Mickey asked as he and Matt walked by on one of their rounds of the ship. Adam ignored them and snickered at whatever Blake had just said and the two men continued on their way without bothering to press for an answer.

 _Come over_ , Blake flashed, going so slow it was almost agonizing.

 _No_. Adam quickly flashed back, snickering a bit at the pause that came after. But then the pause dragged on and on until it felt more like an ending than a pause and Adam was actually getting worried, and then a shout had him looking down.

Blake bobbed in the water below on a small rowboat, and Adam didn’t bother with thinking about how Blake’s _incredibly_ strong arms had managed to get the man across the distance between their ships so quickly. Instead he quickly lowered the necessary ropes – one to tie the boat to since Adam was _not_ lifting that thing on his own, and one for Blake to climb.

When the other captain’s head poked over the edge of the ship, breath a bit heavy from the exertion, Adam poked his face and questioned, “I thought I was coming to you, country boy?” He meant it to come out stern and annoyed instead of intensely fond, but he just couldn’t seem to help it.

“Well,” He drawled as he pulled himself up and onto the deck, “I knew that we were going to be going back and forth for too long, with you saying no and me saying yes like we always do. So I made an executive decision-“

“I see you learned a new word while I was gone,” Adam snickered, needing to ruin every moment no matter how sweet.

Blake glared and continued, “-To come over and get it over with so we can spend some time together. For once.”

“And who said I wanted to be around you?” Adam questioned even as he grabbed the man’s shirt to pull him in for a kiss, humming into it as their arms slipped around each other.

“So,” Adam pulled back and let himself finally get a good look at the man, smoothing his hands over Blake’s shoulders in a way that _just so happened_ to pull the open collar open even more, “I suppose you think you’re special enough to go back with me to my quarters?”

“Yup.”

“Well, look at that,” Adam grinned, grabbing his hand and tugging as he stepped back, “Even people like you are right every now and then.”

 

* * *

 

“So,” Adam hummed in the afterglow, raking his fingers through Blake’s hair and noting absently that it he had begun to let it grow out a bit since the last time they’d been together, “Tell me about the Selkie queen.”

Blake groaned and attempted to bury his face in Adam’s chest, “I don’ wanna.” He mumbled petulantly, and Adam laughed, sinking further into the comfort of his bed, Blake more on top of him than on the bed but that was how they both liked it, really.

“Come on, I had to trade my Kraken horn and an entire crate of sea-serpent scales to get through untouched just because they had _somehow_ learned that I’m associated with you.” He tugged slightly on the man’s hair to get him to look up. “So, what did you do?”

Blake groaned again and resigned himself to answering, though he pushed it off a moment longer by reaching down and pulling the sheet up and over them.

“So, we were just sailing through Selkie territory, as you do when you’re heading toward Pharrell’s, and then I see this Selkie who’d got tangled in an stray net and so we save her, you know? Can’t just leave her to die. So we get her and I let her have my room while we take her to her settlement, ‘cause it’s the right thing to do, and then we try and return her and everyone says that by sharing my bed with her I’d declared my interest in _marrying_ her,” His voice goes a bit high at this, and Adam bursts out laughing at the thought of what the man’s _face_ must have looked like.

“And so they tell me I’d skipped about twenty steps in their thirty stage marriage ritual so I have to do them all quick, because you know how strict the Selkie are with all their rituals, and this girl looks about twelve and they’re telling me I have to _marry_ her!”

“It’s your fault for being such a fucking gentleman!” Adam nearly screamed since he was laughing so hard, and Blake scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“So I try to explain that I can’t really marry the kid for various reasons, but they insist it will be a personal insult against all Selkie which would take fifty-nine trials for them to forgive, plus an additional twenty because she was the Queen’s niece. And so I tell them that I _really_ can’t because I’m already married, and I suppose I dropped your name in a moment of desperation since I wouldn’t admit it otherwise, and in the end we were forcefully escorted out of their seas and told that the reparation process couldn’t be started until three seasons had passed.”

Adam knocks Blake off so that he can curl up, laughing until it almost hurt.

“I can’t believe you cheated on me!” Adam gasped, and Blake grumbled. Eventually Adam managed to gather himself enough to roll back over and nuzzle into a pouting Blake’s shoulder, though he was unable to stop grinning.

“Don’t worry, I forgive you.” He told him as solemnly as possible. Blake looked away, and Adam couldn’t help but snort.

“Would a present help?” He prodded, laughing when Blake quickly rolled back over toward him. He got up, lighting a candle at the bedside so that they could better see each other as they talked, and then going over to the trunk next to the desk. It wasn’t pushed very far down, so he was able to quickly return, slipping in under the covers Blake lifted for him, snuggling into the other man’s side and dropping the small pouch on his chest.

The glass bauble inside swirled with a glittering sort of tide, dark blue shifting to green to a clear winter sky blue, and Blake picked it up by its chain to let it spin.

“So we happened by a colony of sirens that we had to hide in since the navy was getting a bit too close to us, and we all bonded while we were there. One even got _really_ attached to Matt, for some reason, and so when a siren tries to woo someone they woo their family first. So, apparently captain is a good enough substitute for a father and Heidi – that’s the siren – basically asked for my permission to court him. I told her yes, _obviously_ , but when she’d been trying to impress me she told me that they can capture a voice in these crystals that grow in a nearby cave. So, long story short, that’s my voice. You know. For the nights when you miss me so much you cry yourself to sleep.” Blake stared at him with those big stupid eyes of his, making Adam fumble over the last few words.

“That’s a bit conceited, ain’t it? Recording _yourself_? I hear those sirens are supposed to have the most beautiful voices in the world, you know.” Blake teases and, well, it does sound a bit conceited when worded like that, but Blake’s smile told a different story.

“You just have to twirl it and it will sing.” Adam told him, lifting his face toward the smiling kiss Blake bestowed on him.

“I love it, Darlin’.” He murmured, rolling over on top of Adam, the hardened length of him pressing into his thigh, his hands firming their touch, and Adam smiled and tilted his head back with happy sigh, having missed this, having missed _him_ in their months apart.

“You sap.” He murmured, fingers gentle as they trailed down his husband’s shoulders and arms, content with the weight of Blake above him, the rhythm of the gently rocking ship, and the lullaby of the sea outside the window.

 

* * *

 

“Captain. Blake.” PJ greeted them as they left the captain’s quarters in the morning. Blake lazily waved, going over to the side of the ship and, once he’d properly secured a rope, dropping over the side without a word.

Two weeks had passed since they’d encountered the kraken, and they’d been entirely uneventful. They got up, continued sailing, and passed the time with stupid games. One such ill-advised venture had consisted of each ship attempting to construct the best sling shot or catapult in order to see what they could make reach the other ship. Betting had gotten pretty vicious, leading to one fistfight over a potato and a promise of deadly revenge over Ryan’s other boot.

They’d had to put a stop to it before it could get too bloody.

But luckily they were almost there, land having been spotted off in the distance by the spyglasses of each ship, and they were even more impatient now that they knew it was so close.

This impatient boredom lasted up until they heard a cannon shot ring out, and they were all immediately on edge, hurrying to their stations as Adam and Blake both barked out demands for eyes on this new threat.

Who would dare to attack them so close to the Queen’s home?

“It’s the _Aguilera_!” Matt called down, and both captains breathed a sigh of relief as they processed this. Then it was only a matter of waiting for the _Aguilera_ , the fastest ship to sail the seas, to catch up to them.

The ship easily did, and then it quickly sailed past, the captain standing smugly at the stern and the crew laughing and waving tauntingly as they passed the other ship.

Well, now that it was a _race_ …

“Jesse!” He called, his first mate coming to attention, “Tighten the sails. We’re beating the _Ada_ there.” After all, there was no hope of beating the _Aguilera_.

Apparently Blake had given a similar order because not even a moment after the _Maroon_ surged forward the _Ada_ followed suite. There was no way the _Ada_ would have been able to beat them since the ship was bulkier and a bit slower, but the fact that there was a sense of competition on the air just made it all the better.

As they approached the entrance Queen’s Isle they had to slow, sadly, but they still won, so that eased the hurt.

The Queen’s Isle was a small, easily overlooked island that would not have been noticed by anyone had it not been for the remnants of defeated ships built up as a wall against the rest of the world all around the Island, the only break in the fortress a hole big enough for a single ship to sail through. It was one of the most intimidating sights Adam had ever seen, all the wrecked ships pulled up and collapsing in on one another. Anxiety always sunk low into his gut when he saw it, reminded that his beloved ship was made of nothing by dreams and wood and nails, and that it could all be destroyed so easily if he wasn’t careful.

Some, Adam recognized. Some, Adam had defeated, gunpowder thick on the air and cannon fire roaring around him.

The war had been about a decade ago, the Empire’s navy having decided that with no war on the horizon with any neighboring countries they would instead persecute and execute the pirates who sailed their seas. Numbers dwindled and the seas became one of the most dangerous places for a person to venture even if you weren’t a pirate. At times all it took was a moment of suspicion for a navy ship to gun you down.

It had been terrifying, blood and wreckage in the sea and nooses dotting the land, but above it all the Queen had risen.

She’d called together pirates from across the sea, going to them when they refused to come to her in fear that it was a trap. She had promised a world in which the executions would stop, not out of a treaty of peace but a treaty of fear of what the pirates were capable of when they gathered together.

Adam, Blake, and Christina had been the first to say yes, the first to promise their ships and lives to the woman who vowed to go against the unbeatable.

Those who hadn’t agreed had either been swiftly defeated and taken over by her growing fleet, or they had been told to get out of the way of the oncoming war. The second had been much less likely than the first.

And then the navy, high of their own power and not noticing anything, had been taken by surprise by the fleet of over a hundred ships, headed by the Queen herself.

It had taken a year but then the Empire called for a stop, its navy being destroyed far faster than it could be replenished, their own ships being stolen and then used against them as the pirate numbers rose. Tensions were rising on the eastern border, and they would need the navy to suppress that and the battles that would rise up after.

The Queen had taken over a small, uninhabited island in the southern seas, the exact location only known to her three generals and her own crew, who had either settled on the island with her or had been given their own ships to captain. And it was there she stayed, keeping an eye on the goings on of the empire and the pirates who sailed her seas by an extensive network of loyal spies and crewmen.

And so despite the jokes that had gone around when her letter had first arrived, Adam knew that their being called here meant nothing good.

 

* * *

                                                                                                                                                         

Once you sailed past the barrier of skeletal ships and into the inlet, the waiting docks looked peaceful, ships bobbing serenely on the water.

The island itself was only the size of a small city, the length of it could be walked in a matter of an hour. The terrain was more rocky than sandy, sitting a bit higher than the sea’s reach due to the sharp cliff faces rising from sandy banks that the ocean had used to beat against before the defeated ships had been brought up to their current homes.

The docks were big enough to house the Queen’s personal ships and a few visiting ships, and if an enemy _somehow_ managed to make it into the inlet unscathed, they would have been confused by the fact that the docks went nowhere, leading directly into the side of a cliff. The only way up into the Queen’s village, unless you were a skilled climber, was by a rope ladder that could easily be pulled up to impede any progress the enemy would have made.

It was a bitch to climb, but it was an excellent way to ensure the enemy had as hard of a time as possible getting up there.

The _Maroon_ sailed into the docks well before the _Ada_ , though far enough behind the _Aguilera_ that the other ship’s captain was already standing on the docks waiting for him, stirring the air with a large lace fan that looked far too fancy to be owned by a pirate.

“So, I heard about the boyfriend.” Adam remarked as he descended onto the dock to join her, the other captain smirking up at him. “A Duke, right?”

“A _Marquess,_ and a fiancé.” She corrected, showing him the ring on her hand when he eagerly motioned her to, a small smile on her lips as she took it in as well. “I took his ship over because it had the _loveliest_ mast head and I knew it would have some rich passengers. So I go in, plunder and steal, and there he is with a fancy coat and a title so,” She shrugged, “I took him.”

“Is he still on the ship?” Adam asked, not really getting how kidnapping led to a shiny ring.

Christina scoffed. “I was going to hold him for ransom but he charmed his way out of it and somehow managed to get me to agree to marry him.”

“A Marchioness _and_ a pirate. I’m not sure that combination has been done before.” Adam laughed, and she shrugged.

“We’ll say I’m a merchant up until I’m ready to retire.”

Just before Adam was about to offer his sincere congratulations, Blake managed to show up and ruin it like he usually did.

“What ya’ll talking about?” Blake hollered from his docking ship, too impatient to wait.

“Read the mood, Blake! We don’t need you ruining the moment!” Adam yelled back, and even though Adam couldn’t see it clearly, he knew that Blake was rolling his eyes.

“You ain’t having a moment with Christina! She’s _way_ out of your league.”

“One: Fuck you! Two: What does that say about you, dipshit?!”

“Aw, I missed this.” Gwen remarked as she sat a small chest down on the dock, the last of Chritsina’s crew off the ship. Adam eyed the chest with no small amount of suspicion.

“What’s that?” He questioned after accepting a hug from the happy blonde woman.

“Oh, a gift. We weren’t sure what the occasion was, so we got this just in case. Plus, her birthday was a few weeks ago and we didn’t send anything.

 _Shit_.

“Blake!” Adam yelled, his husband’s head popping back into sight, “Did you bring a gift?”

There was a lengthy, awkward pause that made Adam feel _much_ better.

“Were we supposed to?” He called back, and Adam relaxed. He also did not answer the other man.

“Do we have anything we can use as a gift?” He asked P.J., the closest of his crew since everyone else had spread out to talk with the women of the _Aguilera._

“Like, a good gift? Or one that shows you clearly didn’t think this through and randomly found her something on your ship last minute? Because we have plenty of the second.” The man answered lazily, obviously not caring since it was Adam’s ass on the line.

“Adam, goddamnit, do I got to have a gift?” Blake shouted, ignored by everyone except for Gwen, who waved happily up at him but did not answer his anxious question.

“Alright, this is fine. I can spin this. Somehow.” Adam muttered to himself. PJ nodded.

“I believe in you. After all, you’re the Queen’s favorite.”

“Damn right I am. Blake!” Adam screamed, making everyone around him wince at the volume, “What are you doing up there? Hurry up, everyone’s waiting on you!” He turned to Christina, who looked amused at his antics.

“Apparently, in the country they only have to worry about how long it takes for grass to grow, so they take _forever_ to do anything.” Adam complained, and the woman snorted.

“Actually, Darlin’, grass grows pretty fast. It’s the corn you gotta wait on.” Blake drawled as he stomped down the ramp. “Now, why do I got to have a present for? What happened?”

“You don’t have to have a present, geeze. Why are you still on that?” Adam asked, turning on his heel to march toward the waiting rope ladder. The other captains followed closely after, a portion of their crews trailing them. Adam went first up the ladder, the quickest climber of the three, though after about a hundred feet of climbing even he got tired. Once up to the top, Adam collapsed momentarily to the ground, arms screaming their protest.

He stood, and after giving Blake a hand up he took in the little paradise around him, smiling at how it had grown from the empty plot of land it had once been.

Trees heavy with fruit stood proudly atop the high hills, clustered together and lovingly tended, and other crops grew on fields of cleared land. Animals roamed, a few cows and dozens of chickens, and Adam knew that somewhere out there was an evil goat lying in wait to attack him. Although, with how long it had been maybe it was dead.

Small cabins and houses built from the pieces of the wrecked ships surrounding the island lined the dirt streets, old and sea worn wood bleached by the sun decorated by flowers and herb gardens and vines. Some of them had murals painted along the sides, and some had chimes made of Selkie glass hanging in the windows. Remnants of life on the sea were rampant, whether in the jagged sea serpent scales that one person had used to create a treacherous but beautiful garden separation, or in the Siren baubles that sang as the wind moved them, glowing magically and fracturing the sunlight that hit them into hundreds of small spots of light to dance through the air.

Everyone who was busy with their everyday lives, farming or cleaning or cooking, paused to greet the three captains as they walked through the town, the loyal members of the Queen’s crew who had wanted to settle around her, ready to go back to sea if she commanded it but happy to live the village life if she allowed it.

Children who had never seen them before and had perhaps never seen a visitor before ran over to gawk at them, eyes wide as they whispered among themselves. They followed closely as the captains made their way down the street to the Queen’s home, the largest of the buildings and the most beautifully decorated. It was at least the size of four of the smaller homes, with large windows covered by thin but nearly indestructible sheets of selkie glass, shining like the sea on the calmest, clearest day. 

The door opened and there she stood, smiling and as lovely as when they had first met.

“Adam!” Behati grinned, opening her arms for the hug that was happily given, lifting her cheek for the kiss that was pressed to it.

“Happy birthday, your present is me.” He teased, and she tossed her head back on a laugh, smile wide and her eyes crinkling shut as she lightly smacked his chest lightly with the back of her hand.

“I see you’re doing well,” She smiled, looking him over. “The years have been kind to you.”

“Oh, don’t inflate his ego anymore, it’s already unbearable.” Christina snorted, shoving Adam away for a hug of her own.

“And you don’t have any problem with that, obviously.” Behati, the Pirate Queen, laughed, doing the classy thing and pressing two quick air kisses to either side of the other woman’s face. Christina smirked. “Oh, and you must tell me about your _Marquess._ It’ll be lovely to hear it from you instead of my spies.”

“Of course.” Christina agreed, “And, unlike some people, I came prepared with an actual present. A few bolts of fishwife silk I thought you could do something with.”

 After thanking the woman, Behati turned to give Blake a quick hug and greeting, nowhere near as warm as it had been with Adam but friendly none the less.

“I didn’t bring you a present.” Blake told her bluntly, glaring at the other two, “I didn’t know the occasion called for it.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” The queen waved the concern away, “It’s not why you’re here, after all. Now, come in, we have a lot to talk about.” She urged, leading them into the house. Before he entered Adam turned back to his husband, shooting the man a smug smirk.

“I can’t _believe_ you came here unprepared. Who does that sort of thing?” He mocked, hurrying into the house before Blake could get a word in edgewise, leaving the other man stewing in his annoyance.

Once he found the sitting room they were all in, filled with the old but elegant furniture, Adam came to a stop, staring in shock at the man who sat on one of the velvet couches, a delicate tea cup in his hand.

“Pharrell?!” He exclaimed, Blake doing the same thing a moment later when he caught up, both of them standing in the doorway with their eyes wide and their mouths gaping a bit. Pharrell waved.

“Hey guys.” He greeted, Christina watching smugly as her two fellow captains sputtered.

“Don’t you have a town to be running?” Blake asked as they moved to take their own seats, accepting their own cups of tea with absent thank yous.

“That’s where our problem begins, you see.” Behati sighed, motioning for Pharrell to start his explanation.

“The Empire has destroyed Williamsburg.” The man said evenly, like it wasn’t a devastating thing to say, like his entire life’s work wasn’t that bustling city, a safe haven for pirates and degenerates so long as the rules were obeyed.

Williamsburg had once upon a time been a small, poverty stricken port town that would have faded to nothingness if given enough time and negligence. That was before Pharrell had one day shown up, more of a legend than a man, a pirate in his own right who was more famous for the legends who came from his crew than for any of his own exploits. He’d sailed up, declared that he was taking the town, and had settled down.

Past members of his crew had been the first to stop by, asking for protection for a while, some staying and most leaving. Bars were built in a matter of days, prostitutes popping up like daisies searching for the sun, and the little village flourished more and more the seedier it became.

It came soon after the defeat of the Empire in the war, the navy and army unable to stop it until it was too late. One day it was a dying little town, the next it was a thriving pirate port and safe haven, where one went to hide from the navy or make deals in the corners of seedy bars. You wanted new crew? Go to Williamsburg. Curious about a lead to treasure? Go to Williamsburg. Want a good prostitute? Go to Williamsburg.

And Pharrell hadn’t left his little kingdom since he’d started it ten years ago, so it more than proved that the town had fallen. The man wouldn’t have left unless it were true.

“How?” Christina asked, hands tight around her cup even as her face remained haughty and impervious.

“They came with the dawn, early enough that our sentries couldn’t see them until it was too late.” Pharrell said with a false calm, not looking directly at any of them, “The army attacked first, they’d been dropped off somewhere else on land during the night, and that’s the only reason I was able to get out. They attacked about an hour before the navy reached us and surrounded the docks, giving some just enough time to get out. I saw it burning as I sailed away.”

There was silence for a moment, heavy and mourning, before Blake succinctly said, “Shit.”

Pharrell cracked a smile, small but there, and it was enough.

“They’ve gone too far.” Behati said lowly, and everyone turned their attention to their queen, who struck an imposing and intimidating figure, sitting with a rigid back and her head high, eyes hard as she sat ready for war. And her council rightened themselves and readied themselves as well.

“They’ve not had a war in years, so they must have decided that they are strong enough now to strike against us, no matter our treaties.” She said harshly, and they all nodded. “The strike against Williamsburg was obviously the first step in a plan they’ve created, though something must have gone wrong and caused the army to strike before the navy, allowing you to go to freedom.” She said to Pharrell, who nodded.

The pirate queen pushed herself to her feet, stepping over to the open window through which vines heavy with fragrant pink flowers framed the scene of the far away sea.

“We do not have surprise on our side, this time.” She murmured thoughtfully, “They will be expecting an organized resistance this time, and will have prepared for it.”

She turns to face them, chin high and eyes bright with fierce determination, framed by sweet pink flowers and backlit by the harsh light of the sun and Adam remembers, a bit breathless, the first time she had come to him with the crazy idea of putting up a resistance to the Empire and it’s navy.

They’d both been young and he’d been cocky and ignorant, and he’d nearly laughed in her face and thrown her off his ship. But she’d stood before him, chin high and eyes determined as she’d challenged him to think bigger.

 _“Imagine being able to sail the seas without fear of the navy slaughtering you and your crew. Imagine the seas, open and free and safe,_ ” She’d challenged, and it had been like that first time he’d sailed on the sea when he’d been a child, that same sort of breathless wonder and love that would lead to a lifelong devotion.

He’d promised himself and his crew to her that day and had followed her into war without a moment of trepidation. She was his queen and he was her’s to command, and he would follow her into any battle.

She looks at them, her generals, the most devoted of her followers, and she glows like a goddess as she says, “They will have prepared, and so we will have to be swift. We will have to strike quickly and so viciously that they will _never_ question our strength again.”

And they bowed to her will, breathless and devoted, ready to follow her to the depths of hell if she wished it.

 

* * *

 

Christina went off with some of the members of Behati’s crew, Gisele, Estella, and Martha all wanting to talk with the woman about the years that had passed since they’d last seen each other. Their crew members mingled, many close friends happy to see one another. Blake went off to check over some of the animals and crops with a big dumb grin on his face, and at some point Pharrell disappeared.

“I must go to my ravens,” Behati sighed before turning to smile at Adam, “Join me?” And he had never been able to deny her, so once she had gathered a pile of rolled up and sealed notes he offered his arm and escorted her out of her house and up a path to a nearby grove. Once they were at the center Behati clicked her tongue and with a rustle of leaves the Ravens in the trees fluttered down to perch on the posts all around them.

“How have things been?” Behati asked with a small smile, stroking the plumage of one of the larger ravens before securing a note inside of the capsule on its leg.

“Good. Fine. You?” Adam asked, handing the woman notes as she came to each Raven.

“How are things with Blake?” She asked, ignoring his question.

“Good. This is the first time we’ve been together in about…  Half a year?” He mused, shrugging, “So, it’s been great.”

“Your territories are right next to one another, I thought that would allow you to see one another more.”

“Yeah, but we’re both busy. You know, maintaining our fleets, keeping our crews happy, patrolling-“

“Getting lost in the northern seas and _somehow_ managing to find a colony of Fishwives who very nearly kept your entire crew as slaves?” She asked innocently, smiling at the look on his face. “Yes, I heard about that.”

“Did you hear about Blake’s Selkie thing?” Adam asked defensively, smiling when the woman laughed and nodded.

“I’ve kept my eye on all of your goings ons, I was just curious about your feelings.” She told him, pausing to rest her hand on his arm and stare at him imploringly. “I just wanted to be sure you were happy.”

He smiled, a quiet, contented thing, and patted her hand, touched by her concern.

“I think… I haven’t talked to Blake but I think we only have another couple of years left in us.” He confided, her open face, free of judgement, loosening his secrets, “It’s getting harder to go without seeing each other, and as much as I love the sea, as much as I love being a pirate, I think it might be time to stop for a while.”

“You’ve been doing this for a long time,” She agreed, “Where do you think you’ll settle? On a farm? By the sea?”

“That’s the dream.” He agreed, and she smiled, proud and lovely as she stepped forward to press a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“I am so happy for you,” She murmured, “And when this war is done and we have won, I hope you find your home. Or perhaps you would like to settle here.”

“It would be nice,” Adam mused, imagining a life here on the picturesque little isle, with Blake farming every day and Adam going out, perhaps fishing, on a small boat with only himself and the sea.

It was a nice little dream.

With the last letter secured on the ravens Behati stepped back and sent them flying with a command, and they watched as the dozens of birds took to the sky and flew off, carrying the word of yet another war.

“Now, we must plan.” She said solemnly, and Adam followed as they went back to town to plan their attack.

 

* * *

 

In the weeks that followed they received responses from their fellow pirates, one after another promising themselves and their ships to the Queen once again.

And so they prepared, the women and men of the Queen’s Isle preparing for war, readying their ships and themselves for the oncoming battles. Children were soothed and given tasks, packing crates with food, helping to load the ships, and helping to check the sails and ropes as it was explained to them what was happening.

Some adults would remain on the isle with the children to protect and maintain it, too old or unused to the trials of the sea to take to it again, but a majority would set sail yet again.

Just before they left Adam pulled Blake into the shadow of some crates that were being left for the next fleet of ships to take, putting his hand to the back of Blake’s neck and yanking him down for a hard, short kiss.

“I think,” Adam breathed against his lips, holding the other man’s warm eyes, “That after all this is done we should go somewhere, find a nice place, and just stay there.” His throat tightened on the last word since it was just a bit too close to being something too important. He was too used to their relationship being the two of them moving in opposite directions nearly every day of the year, and what would happen if they _settled?_ If they just found a place and stayed there together, growing old and doing old married couple things? Not paying their taxes and telling stories about their old pirate days? It sounded utterly boring and kind of nice.

What if Blake didn’t want it?

Blake sighed gently, breath mingling with Adam’s since they were only centimeters apart, and then he put his own hands around the back of Adam’s neck, threading his fingers through his hair and bringing their foreheads together.

“Yeah,” He said simply, “That sounds good.”

“Oh,” Adam said stupidly, blinking at the tender look the other man was giving him for a shocked moment before sighing and closing his eyes and pressing his forehead firmly back against Blake’s, gripping his neck like letting go would get rid of the feeling that was growing in his gut forever.

“If you don’t come out of this with your face in perfect order I’m leaving you and I’m marrying Pharrell.” Adam told him with what was hopefully a level of indifference. It probably came out unbearably fond, though.

“Pfft.” Blake scoffed, “Pharrell’s too good for you. No way you’d be able to get him.”

“Well, I could _try_ ,” Adam pointed out loudly, which only caused Blake to laugh and then pull him close again for another kiss.

“I’ll see you tonight if Behati doesn’t need us.” Blake promised, and Adam squeezed his eyes shut for a painful moment before opening them and nodding, eyes hard now and ready.

“You’d better. I’ve gotten too used to seeing your stupid face all the time these past few months.” Adam said threateningly. Blake snorted and they left their little hiding place, separating to go to their own ships.

They left at dawn, a line of ships sailing away from the sun, toward their destination where the pirates under the Queen’s command would meet up for the first of many battles. Behati commanded her ship like she had never left it, standing tall and proud at the front most vessel in their line, prepared to take on the Empire once again with a ferocity and bloodthirstiness that the navy could never match.

And that was why they would follow her. And that was why they would win.

**Author's Note:**

> So, in case you couldn't tell, I had more planned for this, but I just didn't want to write any more. This isn't my normal jam, but the world building was super fun, and I hope everything turned out fine.
> 
> Have a great day!


End file.
